Golf team would like to forget Monday

Those were the sentiments of Moffat County High School girls golf coach Tom Dockstader after his team's performance at the Cotton Ranch golf course in the Gypsum Creek Valley near Aspen.

How un-pretty was it?

It was so bad that the team members asked coach Dockstader to not report the scores to the newspaper.

"I'm not allowed to tell you their scores," he said. "I think they'd rather just move on."

The Bulldogs came into the meet with a chance to measure up against Eagle Valley, the current top team in Class 4A in the western region. The home course of the Devils has second thoughts.

"Everybody struggled at that course except Eagle Valley," Dockstader said. "I'm not sure that any of our players were ready to play and the course didn't help much."

On a course that Dockstader said he "wouldn't bring the girls there if it weren't the regional course," there were only five scores turned in under 100, two of which were from teh home team, Eagle Valley.

The only good news the MCHS coach could report is that everybody had to play that same course, and apparently everybody struggled.

"The scores at regionals are going to be very high," Dockstader said. "Even if we struggle we'll still be there at the top."

What made it so difficult?

"There are a lot of hazards," he said. "You can't take a break on any hole or you're in trouble."

He described a series of four holes on top of a hill that if a golfer misses the fairway, she most likely won't find her ball at all.

To make things worse for the Bulldogs, their top golfer for most of the season, Brittany Hutton, couldn't finish her round because of back problems.

"I could tell on the van ride down she was having problems because she couldn't sit still," Dockstader said. "She must have really been in some pain because it would take a lot for Brittany to not finish a round."

The first time at Briar Cliffs Golf Course is a memory the team doesn't want to talk about, but the return trip is inevitable if it wants to go to state.

"Before regionals we'll have a practice round to get out the nerves and to get a better feel," Dockstader said. "They'll be better prepared and ready when it counts."

They better hope so, because there's only one mulligan allowed when it comes to reporting scores to the newspaper.

The next tournament for the Bulldogs is Thursday at Battlement Mesa near Parachute.

David Pressgrove can be reached at 824-7031 or dpressgrove@craigdailypress.com